I am concerned that Marylanders are currently vulnerable to the risky practice of natural gas fracking.

The governor-appointed Marcellus Shale advisory commission is charged with determining the risks that fracking poses to Maryland. In neighboring states, fracking has been linked to a wide range of harmful impacts including contaminated drinking water, air pollution, earthquakes, and increased climate change pollution. It is crucial that Maryland has its own independent assessment of the potential impacts of fracking in our state so we can make an informed decision about whether or how to proceed with this controversial drilling practice.

Therefore I urge you to support a legislative moratorium until and unless comprehensive studies are completed. No studies, no fracking.

Signed,

Sara Kenney

This petition closed about 1 year ago

How this will help

The oil and gas industry lobby wants to begin fracking in Maryland -- while blocking efforts to fund studies of the potential consequences. To ensure our communities are protected, we're pushing...

The oil and gas industry lobby wants to begin fracking in Maryland -- while blocking efforts to fund studies of the potential consequences. To ensure our communities are protected, we're pushing the Maryland General Assembly to pass a legislative moratorium on fracking in 2013.

Fracking is a high-risk method of drilling for natural gas linked to drinking water contamination, air and noise pollution, climate pollution and even earthquakes in other states. The industry has already leased large areas of land in western Maryland for fracking, and in response Governor O'Malley in 2011 signed an executive order calling for studies of the potential impacts here.

Unfortunately, we have no formal laws on the books to protect our communities from fracking's dangers or to ensure that the risk studies are carried out before any drilling moves forward. We need a legislative moratorium now that puts clearly into law: no studies means no fracking.